Impressions at home and abroad; or, a year of real life

Front matter

IMPRESSIONS AT HOME AND ABROAD OR, <B. gear of Seal life. BY J. RODERICK OTLANAGAN, Esq. OF THE KINO'S INNS, DUBLIN ; AND OKAY'S INN, LONDON. What a large volume of adventures may be grasped within this little span of life, by him who interests his heart in every thing, and who, having eyes to see what time and chance are perpetually holding out to him as he journeyeth on his way, misses nothing he can fairly lay his iiands on ! Sterne. > IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL, I. LONDON: SMITH, ELDER AND CO., CORNTIILL, AND JOHN CUMMING, DUBLIN. 1837. lon hon: PRINTED BY STEWART AND CO. OLD BAILEY. TO MY RESPECTED FATHER, AS A SLIGHT RETURN FOR REPEATED ACTS OF KINDNESS, Cfiese Volumes are JeDieateU, WITH EVERY SENTIMENT OF DUTY, VENERATION, AND GRATITUDE.

Preface

. Reader, didst thou ever keep a Diary? Per haps thou answerest, " No." Behold, then, mine ! The work on which thy sight falleth, is gathered from the chaff of one year's harvest. A little year, — but lately passed away, — swallowed in the tomb of departed days, which are never again to return. That year was — 1836 — the last. " -, The last— the last— the last, Oh ! by that little word, how many thoughts are stirred." It may, perchance, be asked, wherefore have I, whose name has not been trumpeted by the

PREFACE.

. VI voices of the mighty public, ventured so much of my existence, as a year, for their perusal? My answer simply is, — to afford them amuse ment, if not instruction ! By beholding the most common-place events in a new light, we look, as it were, on a new picture, — we survey, with delight, objects, and groupings, the previous colouring and position of which we never paused to contemplate ; and now linger to admire that, which we hurried by with inattention before. Life is a star which changes its magnitude with the focus of the telescope through which you view it. To the short-sighted man, it presents a circle, narrow and contracted; he cares but for to-day, and regards not to-morrow : to the more prudent it is a succession of seasons, the partaking of pleasure or pain in the duration of which depends in a great degree upon him self.

To me, I admit, the desire of writing a name which posterity may regard as something worthy remembrance, has long been a ruling passion, and as this can alone be successfully done by identifying myself with the interests of mankind, by administering to their gratifica-

PREFACE.

. VII tion, conferring amusement, or information, 1 have been careful to insert every thing which may lead to the end I contemplated, and care fully to exclude aught which would tend to the reverse. If it be any merit to say, that the pages con tain the immediate product of the transfer from my feelings to paper, — that, written at the very moment when the spell was on me, (if I may use such a term) they have lost nothing of the enthusiastic spirit which animates every writer when his thoughts are labouring in the throes of their mental parturition, they certainly do possess that merit. Some of my continental sketches, may be crude and undigested : I have given the reason, and I preferred them to appear before the public, even in this imperfect state, than lose that sparkle of originality, which would be quenched by attempting an alteration.

In the Introduction of My Tour I have given reasons, I trust satisfactory ones, for adding my name to the thousand and one, who have written their travels. It may be therefore superfluous

PREFACE.

. for me to allude to them here, and I shall only observe, that in the descriptions of any tourist who gives his own impressions, there must ever be found novelty. The human mind receives the ideas occasioned by beholding the wondrous powers of Nature in as various lights as there are shades of character ; the man who is here to-day, may be of different temperament from him who departed yesterday, — one may be a bigot in religion ; the heart of the other teem with universal toleration ; and though they have published their conflicting views, the beauty of the landscape may yet be exhibited in fresh colours, and lo ! from the pencil of the third, the entire starts forth in a new point of sight. The manners and customs of other people, with whom we are daily becoming more and more intimate, must always be subjects of interest; and, however su perficial the account, it cannot fail to impart some information.

In this, 1 hope I may be found instructive, if not amusing. My impressions, doubtless, the critic will call feeble, and possibly some erroneous. Years shall strengthen the former, and information correct

PREFACE.

. IX the latter ; both, I trust, may grow on me apace. To those who favour my pages with a perusal, I can with truth say, I have done my best to impart as much pleasure from my tour, as I have myself enjoyed ; and, while on the spot, spared no pains to render my first book, and in all probability my last of this nature, worthy of being read. I say on the spot, because I was well aware of the jealous application and unremitting attention which the studies of an ar duous and honourable profession claim from those who have enlisted themselves under that ermined banner, which has waved over the ranks of. the many sages who have been remarkable for all that is great and glorious in the history of man kind. A jealous solicitude, which has regarded me with watchful eyes, and which, but for the precautions I had taken of completing my diary on the instant, would, most probably, have been a complete bar to this work's publicity.

I now leave my Impressions in your hands ; when next I address you in public, my situation shall be more capable of works of practical utility ; but, a

PREFACE.

. X for this present writing, I entreat your leniency, and conclude by saying, that be my success what it may, I have had no other object than to excite the human mind to works worthy its creation, by raising curiosity to examine objects of interest, and enliven the vacant hour by im pressions inoffensive, if not commendatory. J. Roderick O'Flanagan. 10, King's Bench Walk, Inner Temple, 1837. AN APOLOGY FOR MY BOOK. " Books," says Bishop Hacket, in his quaint life of Lord Keeper Williams, " are sown so thick in all countries of Europe, that a new one which adds one more to the former gross, had need of an apology. Many that love knowledge, both in dustrious and of sound judgment, are not nice to say, that repletion of Authors hath begat loathing, which is a reason likewise, or a pretence, that divers who are learned and full men, contain their liquour in their vessels, and never broach it in the press, to make it public, because they think it folly to contribute to waste and excess."

However, as the Bishop thought proper to give his learned work to the public, I venture to follow his example, and subjoin the following remarks, which, perhaps, are wrongly designated an apology for my book, they being, in fact, meant as an excuse for my having written one of this nature. APOLOGY. Vigilantibus non dormientibus jura subveniunt. As the period is fast approaching, when I am to be called to the bar, I deem it a duty I owe, not only to myself individually, but to those dear and kind friends, who feel interested in my welfare, to explain away any appearance of disregard to the strict rules of legal decorum, which to the minds of unreflecting persons, might militate against me, in my professional career. I am aware, it has been the remark of ages, that no thing is so detrimental to the acquisition of any science requiring the entire and undivided ap plication of the faculties, as engaging, at the same time, in any other pursuit, and thereby distracting that attention which ought to remain fixed and unchangeable.

This is a proposition which is too generally received, and too universally confirmed, to be shaken by any arguments, no matter however skilfully applied, or energetically maintained. But let us consider, what is the meaning of the observation ; and first, reasoning from experience, cast a glance at the lives of the most eminent APOLOGY. XIII lawyers, — men, whose names are interwoven with the rights and liberties of our country, and on the strength of whose decisions, is based the fabric of our jurisprudence, the best security of the state. The great commentator upon Littleton, whose name must stand at the head of every list of law yers, in any age or time, he of whom we may well say, as Quinctilian did of Cicero, that an admiration of his works is a sure mark of some proficiency in the study of the law.

The man, who dared be honest in the worst of times, when the prerogative of arbitrary rights, supposed to be inherent in the crown, commenced making; those encroachments, which, from the want of such ad visers as Lord Coke, to keep it within due bounds, brought one monarch to the block, and forced another to abdicate. He who fearlessly replied to king James I. in the words of Bracton, " Quod rex non debet esse sub homine sed sub Deo et lege," has laid down in his admirable Institutes the fol lowing disposition of time for the student — Sex horas somno totidem des legibus æquis, Quatuor orabis des epulasque duas, Quod superest ultro sacris largire camœnis. This learned judge, the author or rather the com piler and annotator of the corpus of our elder APOLOGY. jurisprudence, establishes the fact, that time may be so disposed that no two portions can clash or create that discontinuance in the studies of any one part which the student, and above all, the student of law must carefully guard against.

We shall next consider how far the student may in dulge, with impunity, in pursuits differing essen tially from the principal, or, as in the present instance, how far law and literature may be com bined in the same person. To ascertain this, I direct my reader's attention to the early life of another luminary of the profession, whose exten sive information on almost every subject, and whose virtuous life gained him — the former, that share of business which talent is ever sure to obtain ; the latter, the approbation of men of every shade and variety of political and religious opinion, in one of the most arduous situations, in the most convulsed times ever known in this country, that of presiding in a seat of justice, when England was in a state of revolution, — to Sir Matthew Hale. " The various acquirements, and instructive con versation of the learned Selden, led young Hale (then a student of Lincoln's Inn) to extend the scope of his studies, and to apply himself to liter ary and scientific pursuits.

Some branches of mathematics, and of natural history, engaged a considerable portion of his attention, and his writings on these subjects, attest the diligence of his application. He took a pleasure also, in APOLOGY. XV studying medicine, and anatomy, in which his biographer affirms him to have made no inconsiderable progress. Ancient history, and chrono logy, also afforded an employment for his leisure hours ; but his principal delight was the study of divinity." With what justness can it be said that a law student who departs from the black lettered page of legal lore, must necessarily be ignorant of the essential knowledge of his profession, when here we find the most profound and thoroughly skilled lawyer of any country, engaged at the same time in not only the studies of the three learned professions, Law, Physic, and Divinity ; but, of the no less useful accomplishments which distinguish the Gentleman and the Scholar.

I confess, that since I determined to give my work to the public under the sanction of my humble name, I have been more than once alarmed, lest thoughtless persons might exclaim : " What little knowledge he can have of law, who spent his time rambling about writing a book," and others being misled by the apparent justness of the remark, (which I am ready to admit, is often too true,) might conceive a prejudice against me, which every young man entering public life should most strenuously endeavour to avoid. Actuated then by these motives, the most im portant which ever engaged my attention, for upon the first impression often depends the subsequent APOLOGY. XVI career, I have taken the liberty to lay before my readers a brief account of two members of my profession, the most prominent in the an nals of our country, showing that these illustrious men, Coke and Hale, were not exclusively con fined to the knowledge of jurisprudence, extensive as it is ; but, their ardent genius, particularly that of the latter, trod the range of science in all its luminous paths.

Proceeding from these fathers of the law to later times, we find about the close of the seventeenth and the beginning of the last century, a student, who subsequently arrived at the head of his pro fession; whose character as a lawyer, especially as a constitutional lawyer, has ever been held in the highest estimation ; whose arguments may be referred to as a proof of the most extensive pro fessional abilities, and one of whose cases — that of the Bankers * — has been termed by a good critic, Mr. Hargrave : " one of the most elaborate judgments ever delivered in Westminster Hall." We find John Somers in the year 1697, appointed Lord High Chancellor, studying law, engaged in politics, classics, and writing — start not, most grave censor ! — Poetry ! — A future Lord Chan cellor writing poetry !

Yet, behold the lines ! — no great specimen certainly, siste et lege. * State Trials, Vol. XIV. p. 1. APOLOGY. XVII DIDO TO ÆNEAS. With cruel haste to distant lands you fly, You know not where they are, nor where they lie ; On Carthage, and its rising walls you frown, And shun a sceptre which is now your own. AH you have gained, you proudly do contemn, And fondly seek a fancied diadem; And should you reach at last this promised land, Who'll give its power into a stranger's hand ? Another easy Dido you may seek, And new occasions, new-made vows to break ? Yes, learned reader, the toils and monotony of your professional labours may be occasionally re freshed by the enjoyment of other pursuits. The mind, like the body, becomes exhausted from too great labour, and requires relaxation and amusement.

By a judicious mixture of the latter, you will best and most effectually serve the former. The character of Lord Somers has been drawn in so masterly a manner by Addison, and presents so noble a picture of a true lover of his country de voting his energies to her welfare, that I would gladly give it entire ; but, in justice to a few other eminent men, whom I purpose shortly to instance in self-defence, I can only insert an extract : — " He (Lord S.) had wore himself out in his application to such studies as made him useful and ornamental to the world, in concerting schemes for the welfare of his country, and in prosecuting APOLOGY. such measures as were necessary for making these schemes effectual ; but all this was done with a view to the public good that should rise of these generous endeavours, and not to the fame that should accrue to himself Let the reputation of the action fall where it would, so his country reaped the benefit of it, he was satisfied."

" This great man was not more conspicuous as a patriot and a statesman, than as a person of universal knowledge and learning ; as, by dividing his time between the public scenes of business and the private retirements of life, he took care to keep up both the great and good man ; so, by the same means, he accomplished himself, not only in the knowledge of men and things, but in the skill of the most refined arts and sciences." Some idea of the extent of his literary pursuits, as collector, editor, and author, may be conceived from the following observations of that distin guished nobleman, the Earl of Hardwicke, given in a selection from Lord Somers' writings, which were published by the former nobleman in 1778: — " The world will do that justice to the collection, as not to suppose that these specimens from it, immitis ignis reliquis* will afford an adequate idea of its merits.

It filled upwards of sixty * Alluding to an accidental fire at the chambers of the Honourable Charles York, in Lincoln's Inn. APOLOGY. XIX volumes, in quarto, and did not contain a paper from Lord Somers' pen which the most intimate friend would have wished to secrete, or the bitterest enemy could have fairly turned to his prejudice." Somers' Tracts, published in the middle of the last century, and since republished under the superintendence of Sir Walter Scott, ran to sixteen volumes quarto. Can it be presumed, for one moment, that a thorough knowledge of law is incompatible with a general acquaintance of literature, when we find the most renowned sages of the one passionately addicted to the other. What shall be said of Murray, afterwards Lord Mansfield, whose classical tastes and literary attainments prevented him from as sociating with his merely professional brethren, and to prefer the companionship of men of more versatile genius.

"When he first came to town," says Johnson, " he drank champagne with the wits." Was the knowledge of his literary pur suits — of his poetic taste — of his friendship for Pope, and others — any bar to his acquiring an overflow of business unparalleled in the annals of legal history ? Or where could he have stored his mind with those sublime images which lent such an irresistible charm to all his exertions, when called upon for the benefit of his client or his country, in after years ? Surely from the sources of that stream, which, I have been told, is poison to the lawyer's lips. XX APOLOGY. I might continue multiplying instances upon instances ; but I am satisfied it were needles:, if my reader be a person of enlarged views, or useless, if otherwise. In the present day, I am happy to say, that I have many high authorities to warrant me in the step I am taking.

The public will believe, and with God'S blessing they shall believe, that it is possible for a person to write a book, such as this, and be, at the same time, well versed in the learning of his profession. Even in our own time the dignity of the coif rests on the shoulders of the author of the most poetic tragedy in our language, and one, who influenced by the refined feelings of literary taste, has devoted his powerful talents to the encouragement of learning, and will leave future authors to bless God that there was a day, when the lawyer and author were combined, and the legal lore of the former was successfully devoted in conferring on the offspring of genius its just reward. There is one name with which these pages must close, because the most prejudiced cannot but acknowledge the justice of the foregoing remarks, when beholding it.

It is a name which every stu dent, and, indeed, every lawyer, must ever regard with reverence — Sir William Blackstone. He has obtained a fame which is imperishable as the laws of England. His Commentaries are read by every class— his composition delights while it instructs APOLOGY. XXI — no length of years can divest them of the charm of novelty — they are as much esteemed to-day as half a century back, and will, doubtless, a century to come. Wherein consists the charm ? — what is it that strews flowers along the dull and dreary road, and sheds a pleasing brightness over the black-lettered page ? — it is literary composition. As I am willing to anticipate every objection, I readily allow that Blackstone, who devoted, while at Pembroke College, no inconsiderable portion ' of his time to literary and scientific pursuits, thought it prudent to abandon them, when entering on the duties of his profession.

And this may appear a stumbling-block which I cannot get over; but the reader must remember that I do not object to that. If any occupation claims our attention, to the exclusion of a more important one, such fascinating pursuit should be instantly abandoned. Then, indeed, if persevere in, no one, for a moment, can question its impro priety. Poetry was the delight of Blackstone, he could not divert his thoughts from it, in order to apply them to his more serious task, therefore wisely discarded the Muses. He could not practise temperance, though his strength of mind enabled him to endure abstinence. Such a dis tinction is by no means rare. May it be then remembered, that almost every eminent lawyer has indulged in a partiality more APOLOGY. or less for the Belles-lettres. Cowper, Harcourt, Talbot, and Stowell, are names I have not before mentioned.

The talented bar of my own country presents so many gifted names, that I might be guilty of injustice if I mentioned some and omitted others ; I shall merely call attention to " The Life of Curran by his Son ;" one of the most agreeable biographical works ever written. For the satisfaction of my fellow-students — for the gratification of my friends, and in justice to what I felt due to my own character, so soon about to appear in the long robe, I have made these hurried observations — principally to inform my friends, that the work, which is the subject of them, has not precluded me from acquiring that knowledge which I shall be proud to apply to their interests on request, to shew that the time required to make a lawyer, may be judiciously interspersed by studies of a nature demanding less intense application than the books, — that such avocations, the amusements of the mind, are not inconsistent with the duty I owe the noble study I am engaged in, no more than recreation to the body is an injury to the health.

If immoderately used, both are si milarly detrimental. I have already detained the kind reader on this topic, and shall take leave in the same lan guage as Sir W. Blackstone, when abandoning the Muses : — APOLOGY. XXIII Then welcome business — welcome strife, Welcome the cares, the thorns of life, The visage wan, the poreblind sight, The toil by day, the lamp by night ; The tedious forms, the solemn prate, The pert dispute, the dull debate ; The drowsy bench, the babbling hall, For thee, fair JUSTICE, welcome all ! CONTENTS OF VOLUME I.

Chapter I

My birthday — Reflections on attaining my majority — Stag-hunt at Killarney— Lines on the Lakes — Mitchelstown Castle — Earl of Kingston's Lodge — The Mountain Caves. page 1

Chapter II

Visit to the Abbey of Mount Mellery — Account of the Monks of La Trappe — Wild scenery — First glimpse of the Convent — Hurried survey — Picturesque glance of Cappoquin — View of Lismore and Castle — Death-bell Poetry — Thoughts on the foregoing . . . page 2*2

Chapter III

New year's day — A word to the past and address to the present year — Old customs — Regret for their disuse — My farewell fox-hunt — A hint to horse-owners — My native town — The covert side — Drawing for a fox — The find — A well-bred hunter — Breaking covert — Check at Lisnegar — The chase renewed — The finish — Love of sport among the Irish — Approach to the B course — Difference between steeple-chasing in England and Ireland — Rival horses— The start — The race — A dialogue on national music — Rev. Dr. C. Parting . . . ". page 34 vol. i. a CONTENTS.

Chapter IV

" Express" Steamer— The River Lee— The Sea ! The Sea !— Entrance to Bristol — Bath — Lions— Contrast of England and Ireland — Journey to London — Enter by the West End. ..... page 72

Chapter V

Bavarian Chapel — London Streets — Temple Bar — Gray's Inn —Visit Mr. B. — The Bank of England — Ramble through the West End — The Admiralty — War Office — Treasury — Park and Palace of St. James's — Buckingham Palace and Arch — Entrance to Hyde Park — Tattersall's — Statue of Charier I. — Charing Cross — Temple — Middle Temple Hall — Examination at Gray's Inn — Election of Colonel for the Lumber Troop. .... page 82

Chapter VI

London Stone — Acton — Drury Lane Theatre — National Gallery — Sunday from Home — Dinner at Mr. Q.'s — British Museum — Thoughts on Whitehall. . page 97

Chapter VII

St. Paul's Cathedral — Monuments — Sir Christopher Wren — Howard the philanthropist — Immortality difficult — Opening of parliament — The king's state coach — Literature in London — Disappointments — Conflicts of genius with poverty. ..... page 105

Chapter VIII

Fresent House of Commons — First night of the Raphael Inquiry — Chaplain reads Prayers — Mr. O'Connell — Lord Stanley — Mr. Hume — Mr. Shiel. . . page H CONTENTS. XXVII

Chapter IX

Westminster Abbey — Hall and Courts— House of Lords — Observations on the merits of Upper and Lower Houses — Ball-going Adventure — English fond of Dancing — Beauty — Fashion — Cards — Strictures on Society — Hackney Coach Reflections — Conversations — Mrs. Trollope — Music — Westminster Abbey by moonlight — Night Thoughts. page 126

Chapter X

Sunday — Promenade in Hyde-Park — Visiting — Patrick's Day in London — Sermon — Wise change of an Artist — Advice — Environs of London — Cockney Villas — Abode of Guy Faux. ..... page 156

Chapter XI

Changing quarters— Dr. Johnson on town life versus country — A genuine Irish bull — Cab-driver — Moorfields chapel — Greenwich — My stud — A big leap — Elephant and Castle — London a Babel — Greenwich Hospital — Park — Sports of the fair — Return -steam-boat — The Tower — Custom House Charity ball. .... page 169

Chapter XII

Dinner at Mr. W — 's — A Reminiscence of an evening — Bagatelle — A Flare-up meeting prevented — Scene shifts — Fieschi's infernal machine — -The Colosseum — Panorama of London — Recreation — Drive to the Downs — Epsom race-course — The Derby — Pleasures of June — Ascot races — Heath course — Race for the gold cup — A Farewell. page 187 CONTINENTAL DIARY. Introduction to my Tour page CONTENTS.

Chapter XIII. France

Voyage from London to Boulogne — Companions — Fine Day — Various sensations on beholding France — Boulogne — Museum — Church of St. Nicholas — Promenade — Start for Paris — Irish cure for sea-sickness — Route — Abbeville — Old lady's story — Gratitude, A tale of the Three Days — Morning — Beauvais — A recognition — Breakfast — St. Denis Avenue — Port St. Denis — Paris. . . page 228

Chapter XIV

Passport Office — Notre Dame — Jardin des Tuileries — Palais Royal — Gaming, fatal effects — St. Roch — Champs Elysees — Parisian Ladies — Innocent Recreation — A Tragic Anecdote — Place Vendome — Place des Victoires — Theatre Francais — Jardin des Plantes — Concert Musard — Pantheon — Gobelins — St. Germain du Pres — St. Cloud — Louis Philippe: His Escape — The Louvre Conservatory of Arts and Machines — House of Fieschi — Bibliotheque de Roi — Autographs — Soiree. . . . page 251

Chapter XV

Pere la Chaise — Antiquity of Tombs — Abelard and Eloise — Epitaphs — Approach of a Storm — Dialogue near a Monument — Julie and Frederique — View from the Chapel— St. Sulpice— Versailles— Hotel— Reflections on Inns, page 282

Chapter XVI

St. Germain-en-Laye — Barrier of Neuilly — Banks of the Seine— Aqueduct at Marly— Deserted Palace of St. Germain — Forest conversation— Dinner in the Garden of the Hotel d'Angleterre — Hospital of Invalides — Chapel- Grand Opera— A dash at French Character and History. page IMPRESSIONS AT HOME AND ABROAD.

Chapter I

My Birthday — Reflections on attaining my majority — Stag-hunt at Killarney — Lines on the Lakes — Mitchelstown Castle — Earl of Kingston's Lodge — The Mountain Caves. Vingt-un. * * Twenty-one — I have commenced a new epoch ! Time has raced over with rapid gait the hours of infancy and youth, and leaped the bounds dividing the boy from the man. — I feel not greater nor larger, taller, nor broader, than on yesterday ; yet how many privileges am I this moment invested with ! VOL. I. B My home ! I am away from thy roof-tree, and the happy scenes of my childhood. For twenty one years the sunshine of happiness had beamed on me, and the spring of gaiety unfolded succes sive pleasures ripe for my enjoyment; a score of natal days quietly succeeded, and I am now about to run my course, launched on the turbulent stream of life, to buffet with adverse tides.

Let me take a glimpse, then, at that home, whence I have wandered here. My mother— excellent parent ! dost thou think on thy absent boy ? Are his childish follies forgotten, and his future prospects looked forward to with pride? My father ! dost thou feel thy son will be unto thee an aid and assistance in thy declining years, to bear the burthen thou hast hitherto so manfully sustained — the maintenance of a numerous family? My brothers and sisters ! do you feel that a new impetus is given to our exertions, that a new force is lent to family power, a new citizen is added to the world, whose endeavours shall bring more wealth to the general stock, more honour to an ancient name? Let me hope so! And thou, O God ! who of thy infinite mercy hast vouchsafed so long to spare me, grant and ordain that every return ing year may impart an increase of thy bounty, and, as each succeeding hour draws me nearer to the end of my life I shall also advance to thee — that when time ceases to prolong my days, and this world with its pride passeth away, I may in the end obtain a haven of everlasting repose with thee.